Deep Inside
by Riv
Summary: As emotions rise within the gang, a new evil moves in to strike when they're at their weakest.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue....PLEASE!!!!! 

_*Yadda, yadda, yadda* _= Thoughts (+ Dreams) 

***Yadda, yadda, yadda* **= Flashbacks 

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**Deep Down**

_*I want her, I really do. I need her, that much is obvious. I love her, it's easy to tell that's true........Since when did I start talking in poetry? I'm supposed to be the tough one, I'm not some sappy poet like Spike!!*_

The bell in the Magic Box jingled as it was wearily pushed open and a forlorn figure entered. 

_*The Magic Box looks different somehow, quiet, eerily quiet. Where is everyone? Where's Anya? She's usually behind the desk. Sure hope there's no customers, I'm not in the mood for nonstop chatter at the minute*_

The shop was void of customers, servers or the Scooby Gang, on a Saturday this was weird at best. 

_*Suppose they're at the Bronze, can't see Giles dancing though....bad visual time. Guess I should check there*_

************************************* 

Dawn sat on the couch, channel hopping with a distinctly bored look covering her face, everyone was out, no-one had time for her anyhow, nobody wanted her around. The front door slammed shut. 

"Dawnie, it's me", Tara's voice called. 

_*Goody*, _Dawn thought bitterly, _*Now she remembers about me*_

"Hey Dawnie, you alright?", Tara asked, peering around the door into the living room. Dawn ignored her and stared at the T.V. 

"Dawnie?", Tara persisted, sitting beside Dawn. 

"Fine", Dawn snapped, flipping channels again, getting rapidly more irritated. 

"Do you think I'm stupid?", Tara asked gently, trying to coax a reaction out of Dawn. Dawn shrugged indifferently and immediately felt guilt at the look of hurt on Tara's face. 

"I'm....uh.....going....uh..w...well Night", Tara stammered, getting up and walking out the room. Dawn frowned and turned the television off, she bit her tongue and sat for a few minutes in total silence before running after Tara. She found Tara sat on the bed she shared with Willow, reading. 

"Tara....I'm sorry", Dawn whispered. Tara looked up at the miserable young teenager stood in her room, she knew Dawn had been having a hard time, she wished she'd open up to somebody...anybody. Dawn felt her body start to tremble and her knees began to shake. 

"Sit down", Tara said softly, "Talk to me". Dawn shook her head. 

"I don't want to talk to you", she whispered, tears starting to shine in her eyes and pain of life showing in her voice. Tara got up and went over to Dawn, worried that the girl was going to break down. 

"Why?", Tara asked gently, watching for Dawn's reaction. 

*********************** 

_*Oh man this music really sucks*_

Xander slumped back in his seat and watched as the couples around him gyrated in sexual dances. Where was Anya? What was she doing that was so important she couldn't come to the Bronze with him? 

"Hey there stranger, where is everyone?", Buffy asked, bouncing onto the sofa next to him, hoping to hide her misery she was controlling. 

"Hey Buff, well Dawn went home, Tara went with her, Willow and Anya.........have disappeared off the face of the planet and Giles is over there with....woah....he got a chick!", Xander replied, his eyes widening. Buffy laughed softly. 

"Breath Xander, breath", she smirked, "Your night sucking as much as mine?". Xander nodded. 

"No-one has the time to party now", he groaned. Buffy shrugged before standing up. 

"Come on, dance with me. We might as well enjoy ourselves", she smiled, Xander smiled back and stood up. 

. 

I know it's short but I completely forgot about this fic and when I finally remembered it was here I forgot what I was writing about. It might come back to me by next chap. 


	2. Arising

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue....PLEASE!!!!! I have nothing, well except the mints in my pocket but they're kinda fuzzy and fluffy so you wouldn't want them......right? Yes I did just copy this from the first chapter but hey, gimme a break all right? 

**_Pairings:_** Xander/Anya, Xander/???, 

_*Yadda, yadda, yadda* _= Thoughts (+ Dreams) 

***Yadda, yadda, yadda* **= Flashbacks 

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**Deep Down**

Tara glanced down at the girl in her arms and couldn't decide whether she was annoyed or relieved that Dawn was asleep. To be honest Tara was desperate to find out what was wrong with Dawn and help her fend off her demons (so to speak), but the best thing for her at the moment probably was sleep. 

"Why won't you talk to us Dawnie?", Tara murmured softly under her breath before gently laying the girl onto her bed and getting up to head downstairs, casting a final, concerned look back at Dawn just to be sure that she was all right. Sighing, Tara quickly descended the stairs, her mind in turmoil and her body exhausted. 

****************************************** 

"Hey Buff, looks like Faith rubbed off on you more than you thought", Xander wise cracked as he and the slayer crumpled onto two of the chairs at the edge of the dance floor, "Didn't know you could dance as...sexily as that". 

"Down boy", Buffy smirked, Xander returned it with an exaggerated wiggle of his eyebrows before his face slid into a more serious expression, not often seen on the joker's face. Buffy sat up, a little concerned at the depth of emotion she could read in Xander's eyes. 

"What's up Xand?", she asked gently, reaching out and squeezing her friend's hand. Xander sighed and licked his lips nervously. 

"Is it wrong to be in love with two people at once...is it even possible?", he asked, his eye twitching slightly, a sure sign of his nervousness. 

"Well...it's obviously possible...I mean you are...right? And uh...well it's not right...but it's not wrong...hard to explain", Buffy trailed off into silence for a few seconds before regaining her tongue, "It's just something that happens, I mean...I've always been in love with Angel but it doens't mean I can't be in love with other...guys at the same time". She noticed the angry flinch at the mention of Angel's name and hurried to try and divert the conversation. The matter was taken out of her hands as a grubby, flustered and down right annoyed Anya stormed back into the Bronze. She scanned the room, blatantly ignoring the odd glances she was receiving, before spotting Xander and Buffy and stomping over to them. 

"Buffy...", Anya started dramatically. 

"Anya...", Buffy smirked, awaiting a barrage of whining or insults from everyone's favourite ex-demon. 

"Ok...explain this to me, is this like, another human thing that I don't understand?", Anya demanded, Buffy sighed and stood up. 

"Well I may be able to tell you if you tell me what you're babbling about", Buffy asked, there was only one person's inane babbling she could put up with. 

"You mean I didn't tell you? This stuff is driving me mad!", Anya stomped one foot in a sudden temper tantrum and glared at anyone who stared at her. 

"Tell Buffy what's wrong An', we can't help you otherwise", Xander sighed, getting more than a little annoyed with his 'girlfriend'. 

"I was getting to that part honey, don't interrupt me", Anya replied, "As I was going to say there's some big, ugly, freaky monster out there pounding on this guy in the street, and then he started on me, I wanna know how come it's me that gets pounded when you're the one who goes around killing all of its friends?". Buffy was up and halfways across the Bronze dance floor by the time Anya had finished her ranting. 

"Just great, now I'm going to be awake all night trying to figure it out", there was a short silence, "As I'm going to be awake anyway do you want to go home and have mind blowing sex in the shower?". Xander choked on air as a few people turned around to stare at them, not even bothering to be subtle anymore. 

"Yeah...why not?", he replied, blushing crimson. Anya sighed happily and pulled him to his feet before dragging him away with a range of catcalls and remarks following them. 

************************************************ 

"Okay big, ugly, freaky monster guy, where are you?", Buffy muttered to herself as she patrolled the alleyways behind The Bronze. She slowly turned the corner, her slayer sixth sense going crazy for some reason and tingles shooting up her spine. Squinting into the darkness she spotted someone lain on the floor, surrounded by a liquid that appeared to be glowing...or maybe it was water reflecting the bad street lights, she couldn't be sure. She carefully approached the body, rightly suspicious that this was going to turn out being a trap laid by some smart ass demon who thought cockiness made him a god. 

"Bunch of egotistic morons", Buffy muttered, subconsciously tapping her stake off of her hand. She crouched down beside the body and rolled it onto it's back to have a better look at it. He was middle aged, with pale, creased skin and wide, blue-grey eyes filled with dread. His clothes had been torn from his body and his skin ravaged in a vicious flurry of attacks, the blood trickled down onto the alley way floor and stained everything it touched red. 

"Shit", Buffy cursed, if only she'd gotten here quicker, got Anya to talk faster, then this wouldn't have happened. She hung her head and sighed, not even noticing the person slowly walking up behind her until they reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

She spun around and caught the person by the shoulders, jumping up and slamming them hard against the alleyway wall, suddenly her head caught up with her slayer instincts and she realized that the trembling individual in her hands was actually a very pale and shaken Willow Rosenburg. 

"Nice to see you too Buffy", Willow whispered, Buffy sighed in relief before pulling Willow into her arms and hugging her tightly. 

"Don't do that", Buffy whispered, not too sure why she was so keen to hold onto Willow but not pulling away either. 

"Not too keen on trying it myself either", Willow replied, "So what's up Buff? There bad stuff coming?". Buffy stepped back out of Willow's arms. 

"Yep, big, ugly, freaky guy killed the poor guy behind me", she replied, tucking her hands into her pockets. Willow glanced at the body briefly before looking back at Buffy. 

"Big...ugly...freaky guy?", she asked, raising an eyebrow. Buffy shrugged nonchalantly. 

"Anya's description not mine", she replied, "Come on we better go see the G-Man, where are Xand and Anya?". Willow laughed suddenly whilst going the same colour as her hair. 

"They went home to have mind blowing sex in the shower, as Anya gladly informed the entire Bronze", she mumbled, still a little flushed. 

"You were in the Bronze?", Buffy asked, she furrowed her brow and thought back to the Bronze, she hadn't sensed her friend. Willow nodded as they continued walking in silence. Buffy shot her a concerned look before gently looping her arm through Willow's. 

"What's up Will? You're not usually this miserable", she asked, Willow sighed and lowered her eyes. 

"Me and Tara had a fight", she mumbled, "It's nothing serious, just a slight tiff". Buffy rolled her eyes and pulled her arm back to wrap it around Willow's waist. 

"If it's upsetting you, it's serious", she replied, Willow opened her mouth to reply but they were interrupted by a thud on the floor behind her, both girls spun around, Buffy in fighting stance. In front of them was a lumbering, dark figure with a grungy mass of long black hair covering his shoulders. 

"Big, ugly, freaky guy I'm presuming", Willow said softly. 

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Well there you go, the next chapter. I really am having trouble to get this flowing so throw any decent ideas my way! I may remodel this chapter. 

Review guys! Makes me happy, gotta be a good thing! 


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